


Have You Heard The News That You're Dead?

by DeadMilitia



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: 1980s and modern day, Alternate Universe - Afterlife, Bullying, Death, Depression, Fear, Ghosts, High School, Homophobia, M/M, Murder, can ghosts be depressed?, school shooting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-21
Updated: 2017-03-20
Packaged: 2018-09-01 08:57:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8617852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeadMilitia/pseuds/DeadMilitia
Summary: In 1984, Frank Iero was killed, murdered by hatred. Instead of a high schooler's death being mourned, his death was covered up. The fact that he was openly gay was why his life was cut short and also why his family helped cover it up. Now, he watches as people get more and more accepted for the very reason he was killed. In 2016 Gerard Way was killed. His death along with everyone else killed in the shooting were mourned by everyone. The fact that the shooting was aimed towards gays made people rally together to spread love and support. Gerard wishes that he had been shown that kind of love and support while alive instead of being shown hatred.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This might be a horrible idea, I don't know yet. Please let me know if you're interested in more.
> 
> Oh, and the assigment given to Gerard in this chapter was something my history teacher in the homeschool group made us do and it was actually a lot of fun.

Jackson High School has become Gerard's personal hell. He spent most of his time either being ignored or bullied. The bullying had gotten to the point where he wished that people were fine treating him as if he were invisible. He had begged his parents to transfer schools but they wouldn't let him. So here he was again, walking down the hall and hoping that today was a day he would get lucky and be treated invisible. Ever since waking up he had the feeling that today was going to be bad but he wasn't sure why. It's not like he has good days so maybe his subconscious was just reminding him that he was going to have a bad day. He should be used to life sucking by now.

"There's the emo fag! We were starting to worry you wouldn't show up." Gerard kept his head down as he walked, trying to get away from his tormenters. He didn't make it far before he was being grabbed and slammed into the wall. "Hey! I was talking to you, bitch." Jake snarled, getting right in Gerard's face. Gerard had learned a long time ago that it was better to stay silent. He took the insults and shoves just like any other day. If this was any indication of how his day was going to be then he was in for a one hellish day.

"Come on, he's not worth our time," Trent said, chuckling. Jake gave him one last shove before walking away. Gerard took a moment to collect himself before continuing his walk to class. He did his best to keep his head down and stay near the wall. The less he disturbed others the better.

Gerard had always been open about his sexuality even before he really knew what it was. For a while he believed he was possibly transgender and didn't do much to hide his feminine side. He still is more feminine than his peers even though he was comfortable with his gender now. He knew that being so open was the reason he was tortured daily but he kept reminding himself that it didn't matter. He only had two more years of this hell and then he could leave and start over. He thought about going to art school because homosexuality was more accepted in the art world. He had decided that that was where he belonged.

Mrs. Beaty's class was probably Gerard's favorite. She was their history teacher and she made things fun for the students. She was a young teacher who had just gotten married and Gerard found her to be the most relatable teacher, and she was one of the few who gave a fuck about him.

"Alright, class, I thought we would try something new. I'm going to call people up and have you draw a scene from a hat. These will be the historical scenes each group will create a skit for and act out. Each scene will require three people. Gerard, why don't you choose first?" Mrs. Beaty suggested, holding out the blue baseball cap with a smile. Her dark blue eyes encouraged him to come to the front of the class. Gerard glanced around at the other students, none of which were going to want to work with him. He finally stood up and walked to the teacher, keeping his head down. He drew a piece of paper and read it before glancing up in confusion.

"What did you get?" She asked, smiling.

"It just says 1856." He said, holding the paper up to show her.

"How this assignment works is that one these papers is something simple. For example, 1856, your job is to come up with something historically correct for whatever you draw. So for Gerard and his partners, you will have to study the year 1856 and either make a skit based on the entire year and it's events, or pick a specific event from that year and act it out." She explained, getting a 'you've gotta be kidding me' look from Gerard. Not only was nobody going to want to partner with him but he also already knew that he would be doing all of the work alone. "Now, since Gerard drew, he's leading his group. Which two people do you want in your group?" Gerard looked around the room and decided to settle for the two that he knew would at least be civil with him.

"Ray and Lyndsey," he said, neither person seemed disgusted by his choice which was good.

"Alright, please take this seriously and actually work together on this project. Now, Joy, you pick next." Mrs. Beaty said, sending Gerard back to his seat. Gerard jumped slightly when a piece of paper was thrown on to his desk. He looked around to see who was throwing things at him, not that it was uncommon, and saw Lyndsey smirking at him. She motioned as if she was unfolding something and pointed at the ball of paper in front of Gerard. He picked it up, expecting an insult to be scrawled on the inside, but instead it was two phone numbers. Ray and Lyndsey's numbers. Gerard was kind of shocked though neither of them had ever been mean to him but they didn't exactly acknowledge his existence either. Gerard just smiled at them before turning around to pay attention to the rest of class.

As soon as the bell rang, Gerard gathered his stuff and tried to get to his next class as quickly as possible. This is how it was every day, get from one room to the next without being noticed. He wasn't able to get far before Ray and Lyndsey stopped him.

"So leader, where are we meeting first?" Lyndsey asked.

"Um, d-doesn't matter," Gerard mumbled, walking to his locker while they followed.

"How about the library after school?" Ray suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Lyndsey agreed and Gerard just nodded his head. It was unusual for people to talk to him without insulting him. Gerard listened to Lyndsey and Ray discuss the project when all of a sudden there was loud yelling from down the hall.

"You fucking fags deserve to die!" The person yelled followed by a loud bang that made people scream and then people were running. Gerard was frozen with fear and it seemed Ray was, too. Lyndsey ran with the others, trying to find cover. There was more yelling and then Gerard felt himself being pulled. Ray was pulling him away from the scene, pulling him to safety. There were more gunshots, more screaming, crying, yelling. Just as Gerard got his legs to cooperate with him, there was another loud gunshot. Gerard felt pain explode through his body and he gasped before falling to his knees. Ray was yelling his name before another gunshot rang out. Gerard watched Ray look up and then back at him before running. Gerard wanted to call out to him but knew it was no use. It was too late for him anyway.

Gerard finally collapsed to the floor, his vision was blurry and all he could feel was pain and panic.

 _'I didn't want to die this way,'_ was the last thought Gerard had before everything went black.

\------------------------------------------------------

There were people everywhere. Gerard watched as body bags were carried out of the school. He felt weird but couldn't figure out why. He looked down and saw that he looked normal, no blood or wounds. That wasn't right, he had been shot, hadn't he? He died, he was sure of it. Ray, he was there, he would know what happened. Gerard looked around and saw two paramedics putting a girl on a stretcher. Her name was Kayla and she was what Gerard would describe as a world peace advocate. She loved everyone and did so much good for the world. Why would anyone hurt her? Gerard noticed that she was still breathing.

Gerard made his way outside, knowing that if Ray was still here that's where he would be. He got outside and saw all of the people, some seemed shocked and others were sobbing. He scanned the crowd, he needed to find Ray, that's when he spotted his family. They were all sobbing and his mom was holding on to Mikey who was crying so hard it looked like he couldn't breathe. Gerard started towards them, he was fine, they shouldn't be crying.

"Mikey, I'm okay," Gerard said, standing next to his family. None of them even looked at him. "Mom? Dad?" He moved closer to them, trying to get their attention. He reached out and put his hand on Mikey's shoulder.

"Mikey, I'm right here," he said. "Mikey?" Why weren't they paying attention to him? What was wrong?

"I'm right here, why are you crying?" Gerard asked, turning around and scanning the crowd again. That's when he saw Ray talking to a police officer. He glanced back at his family before going to Ray. He needed to know what had happened.

"Ray, what happened? My family is acting like they can't see me." Gerard said, not caring if he interrupted Ray and the officer. Neither one seemed to have heard him. "Ray, come on, please don't ignore me. What the hell happened?" Gerard yelled.

"You can yell all you want but they can't hear you." Gerard turned and saw a guy with messy black hair who was dressed in all black with a leather bracelet on his wrist. Gerard looked around before looking back at the guy.

"Who are you?" Gerard asked. The guy looked to be around his age but he knew they didn't go to school together.

"Name's Frank Iero," he said.

"Alright, how come you're the only person who can see or hear me?" Gerard asked, looking back over to Ray who was finishing up his story.

"Well, Gerard, you're dead and so am I." Frank said, smirking a little. Gerard looked back at his family before looking back to Frank.

"What?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I owe everyone an explanation as to why this took so long. I should have put this in the last chapter but didn't. Please be patient with me because I have a lot going on in my life at the moment. My 12 year old sister just spent 6 months in the hospital battling cancer. She didn't get to come home at all the entire time. I was running back and forth between handling things at home so my mom could stay with her and going to the hospital to be with her. She went into remission right before Christmas but the chemo has taken a real toll on her. She has drop-foot and neuropthy which makes it so she can't walk. She went from the cancer floor to physical rehab around Christmas and finally came home last month. She's in a wheelchair and goes to therapy for two hours three days a week. She requires a lot of care right now and my mom and I are her caregivers. On top of all of this, a month before she was diagnosed we lost our house and I lived with my aunt while my sis was in the hospital. About a week after she got home, we moved into a new-to-us house. It needs a lot of work but we get to live here rent free, so we can handle it. My days have been pretty busy so please be patient with me. Also, we haven't been able to afford WiFi yet, so I don't know how long I'll be without internet. I mooch off of the hospital WiFi while my sis does therapy. Sorry this note is so long but it's important that everyone understand where I'm coming from.

Gerard and Frank wordlessly watched as the school was cleaned up and people slowly left. Gerard's heart broke as he watched his family leave.

"Will I ever see them again?" Gerard asked, staring at the black car of his dad's as it drove away.

"Maybe," Frank said, his tone void of emotion.

"Why does being dead feel similiar to being alive?" Frank pushed himself away from the wall he was leaning on.

"You ask a lot of questions." He pointed out, walking away from Gerard who followed.

"Well sorry for not knowing anything about being dead." Gerard grumbled, looking around at the halls. "What happened to you?"

"I died," Frank answered, making Gerard roll his eyes.

"I meant how did you die?" Frank didn't say anything, he just kept walking. "Fine, don't tell me even though you just watched me die."

"Just because I watched you die doesn't mean I have to tell you how I died." Frank pointed out.

"Whatever," Gerard mumbled. "Was I the only one who died? Why aren't there more ghosts?" Frank sighed heavily before turning to look at Gerard with an annoyed expression.

"I don't know, okay? I don't know why there aren't more ghosts. I've watched kids die and they never come back. I don't know why some of us do and others don't. And some come back after a few days only to disappear a week later. I don't get it." Frank explained, staring at Gerard like he was expecting something.

"So heaven and hell don't exist?" Frank smirked, crossing his arms.

"We're spending enternity in high school. I don't know about you but that sounds like hell to me."

"We can't leave?"

"Some can, I've seen people come and go before. Then they just leave for good. I can't leave the school grounds and I don't know why." Frank's voice was quieter at the end, almost sad. Gerard started to ask another question only to be cut off by Frank. "I don't know." He then turned and disappeared. Gerard stood there quietly and looked around.

"Frank?" He yelled. "You can't just leave me like this. I don't know what I'm doing or what the hell is going on... Frank?" There was nothing. The hallways were just silent and Gerard was alone. He didn't know what to do. What do ghosts do? He finally sighed and headed towards the art room. If he has to spend enternity here then he's spending it where he enjoys himself the most. He got a sketch pad and some pencils before sitting down to draw. The fact that he was truly alone made him feel weird. He had spent so long feeling invisible and now he really was.

Part of him wanted to get revenge on all of the bastards who made his life hell. He had the opportunity now. What's more terrifying than a ghost tormenting you endlessly? He looked up at the street outside the school. Frank said some could leave and others couldn't. If he only torments them at school then they could leave this school. If he followed them home, they couldn't escape him.

Before he knew it, Gerard found himself standing on the front lawn of the school. He stood at the edge of the grass and was surprised when he managed to step on to the sidewalk. Was this still school grounds? He moved farther out, stepping into the road. He smiled when he realized he was no longer on school grounds. He started walking down the road and once he was far enough from the school, he turned to look back. That's when he saw Frank standing in the doorway of the school. His arms were crossed and he was watching Gerard. When he noticed Gerard staring back, he turned and went inside the school.

Gerard looked behind him towards home. He could just go home and watch out for his family. He could get away from the school and the bullies. He didn't have to get revenge on them. But that would leave Frank alone. He didn't understand why he could leave and Frank couldn't. Had Frank done something horrible that made him trapped at the school? If he was a horrible person than Gerard shouldn't feel bad about leaving him. He didn't seem horrible though. Gerard looked down the road one more time. He has all of enternity, he can spare a little time to get to know Frank.

When he walked through the school doors, he found the building empty and silent again.

"Frank?" He called out, hoping that the other would appear. There was nothing. He walked down the hallways, hoping to bump into the dark haired boy. He made his way down a long hallway and looked into the rooms to find them empty.

"Why did you come back?" The voice made Gerard jump. He turned to see Frank looking at him in confusion.

"I-I...." Gerard couldn't tell him he came back for him. How weird would that sound?

"You want to go home, right? You can leave so just go." Gerard didn't miss the bitterness in Frank's tone.

"Where would you go if you could leave?" Frank chuckled humorlessly.

"I'm not wanted anywhere.... I would love to go after the bastards who did this to me. Make their lives a living hell before ripping them apart in the middle of the night. I would make them suffer first though. Just like they did to me." Gerard was slightly afraid of the look on Frank's face. He really did look like he was going to kill someone. Sure Gerard wanted revenge on his tormentors too but he would never go as far as killing them. He just wanted to make their lives hell until he felt they'd had enough. He would also make it known that it was him so maybe they would get their shit together.

"You'd kill them?" Gerard questioned.

"Eventually, yes," Frank said as if it were no big deal. "They killed me so I'd kill them."

"But that's not right." Gerard pointed out. Frank's expression turned dark in an instant.

"And them killing me slowly was? They deserve it!" Frank yelled before disappearing again.

"Frank?" Gerard called out, throwing his hands up when he realized the other was gone. If Frank was going to disappear every time he got mad then talking to him wasn't going to be easy. He seemed to have anger issues. Gerard shook his head before going back to the art room. He put his head in his hands and thought deeply. Frank seemed too angry at the world to care whether or not he stayed. Maybe it would be better for him to go home. Maybe it would be better to forget the revenge part and just watch after Mikey. Would he end up like Frank if he allows himself to seek revenge? Would he end up so dark that he's willing to murder someone?

What made Frank such a dark soul? Gerard thought again about whether or not Frank was a good person. What if he had done something when he was alive and that resulted in his death? Part of Gerard wanted to get away from him and never come back. Could bad ghosts affect other ghosts? Would Frank make Gerard as dark as he is?

\-----------------------------------

The next day, Gerard stood by a window and watched people place flowers and other items around the steps of the school. His family had already been and gone and watching how torn up they were pulled at his heart. Mikey hadn't even gotten out of the car. Instead he sat there and stared at the building while crying. Mikey needed him. He needed to know that he was okay.

He finally turned away from the window. There was no point in watching people mourn over those killed here. He wondered if any of the other students would come back. Frank had said it can take a few days. What would his family think if they knew he was still here watching them? What would these other families do if their loved ones came back?

"Why don't you just go back home?" Gerard jumped at the voice.

"You're gonna have to stop doing that before you give me a heart attack." Gerard growled, holding a hand to his chest.

"You're already dead, genius." Frank smirked, uncrossing his arms and walking towards Gerard. "Go home to them, keep an eye on them. Eventually they're going to leave and you'll never know where they went. I don't know if my family is still here or not. I don't even know if they're still alive... You can watch out for them. You should go." Frank's voice was filled with sadness as he stared out the window.

"What about you?"

"What about me? I'm stuck here for the rest of eternity. At least I'll be the smartest ghost. I mean, I've been attending school since eighty-four. Thirty-two years of school gives you a lot of time to practice those trouble areas." Frank joked with little humor.

"I don't want to leave you alone again." Gerard admitted, getting a smirk from Frank.

"You've got a big heart. That's your biggest flaw." Then Frank was gone again. Gerard couldn't get over Frank's ability to appear and disappear at will. He would disappear into a puff of black that resembled a shadow. Gerard turned back to the window and wondered if Frank was right. Maybe it was better for him to just go home. Mikey was going to go off to college one day, start a family of his own, move away. Gerard wanted to see all of that. He wanted to be there to see how Mikey turned out. He wanted to see his nieces and nephews if Mikey has kids. He didn't want to lose Mikey. He wanted to show Mikey he was still here, watching over him. He could always come back to keep Frank company from time to time. A ghost friend sounded pretty cool to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone wants to keep up with me, feel free to look me up on tumblr. @dan-phil-obsessed. I mostly just post Youtuber stuff on there but that's the easiest way to reach me if you have questions or want an update on the next chapter's progress.


End file.
